Biologia plantarum, 2014 (vol. 58), issue 3

Original Papers

Somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration of Cassia angustifolia from immature cotyledon-derived callus

S. Parveen, A. Shahzad

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:411-418 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0409-6

Plant regeneration through indirect somatic embryogenesis was attempted from the immature cotyledon-derived explant of Cassia angustifolia Vahl. - a valuable leguminous shrub. The highest frequency (90.5 %) of somatic embryos was obtained on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with 10.0 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1.0 μM benzyladenine (BA) with the production of a maximum of 22.8 embryos per explant, of which 35.3 % germinated on the same medium after 6 weeks of culture. A half strength MS medium without plant growth regulators facilitated better conversion of embryos into complete plantlets compared to a full...

Cloning and expression profiling polycomb gene VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3 in tomato

Z. M. Almutairi, M. T. Sadder

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:419-426 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0421-x

VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3 (VIN3) is a chromatin remodelling protein that is induced by low temperatures and is required for the vernalization response in Arabidopsis thaliana. VIN3 is one of the polycomb group (PcG) proteins, which mediates epigenetic repression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in A. thaliana. Here, we present cloning, characterization, and expression of a putative SlVIN3 gene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by isolating cDNA clones corresponding to SlVIN3 gene using primers designed based on conserved sequences between PcG genes in A. thaliana and tomato. The SlVIN3...

Identification and functional analysis of BABY BOOM genes from Rosa canina

H. F. Yang, Y. P. Kou, B. Gao, T. M. A. Soliman, K. D. Xu, N. Ma, X. Cao, L. J. Zhao

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:427-435 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0420-y

BABY BOOM (BBM), initially identified in Brassica napus, can enhance the shoot regeneration capacity in tissue culture and is involved in the conversion from the vegetative to embryogenic state. This study aimed to isolate BBM orthologue genes from Rosa canina and analyse their functions. Two full-length cDNAs, designated RcBBM1 and RcBBM2, were isolated from R. canina by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The predicted amino acid sequences of the two RcBBMs contained the bbm-1 motif and the motifs typically conserved in the eudicotANT (euANT) lineage. Phylogenetic...

Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of LeMYB1 from Lithospermum erythrorhizon

H. Zhao, S. K. Baloch, L. R. Kong, W. J. Zhang, A. L. Zou, X. M. Wang, J. L. Qi, Y. H. Yang

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:436-444 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0411-z

MYB transcription factors (TFs) are known to have important functions in regulating the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in plants. In this study, LeMYB1, a member of the MYB gene family of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, was cloned via the rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The alignment of the predicted translations of LeMYB1 with other MYB proteins revealed that LeMYB1 contained an N-terminal R2R3 repeat and a high degree of amino acid identity to NtMYBJS1 which is involved in jasmonic acid signalling and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway regulation. To determine the expression pattern of LeMYB1, its...

Isolation and functional characterization of a novel gene coding for flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase from globe artichoke

M. De Palma, F. Fratianni, F. Nazzaro, M. Tucci

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:445-455 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0424-7

Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus) is rich in flavonoids which contribute to its health-promoting properties. With the aim of understanding the genetic control of flavonoid accumulation in artichoke, we isolated an artichoke full-length cDNA sequence encoding flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H), a major enzyme of the flavonoid hydroxylation pattern. In silico studies confirmed that the deduced amino acid sequence of CcF3'H is highly similar to F3'Hs isolated from other Asteraceae. The Northern blot analysis demonstrated that CcF3'H was highly expressed in leaves and in specific parts of the heads. Its...

The expression of BrMDHAR gene in chloroplasts and mitochondria enhances tolerance to freezing stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

S. Y. Shin, Y. S. Kim, I. S. Kim, Y. H. Kim, H. M. Park, H. S. Yoon

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:456-468 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0416-7

In chloroplasts and mitochondria, antioxidant mechanisms include the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) is important for regeneration of ascorbate (AsA) from monodehydroascorbate (MDHA). To improve detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we established a construct of the MDHAR gene from Brassica rapa fused to the targeting signal peptides of Pisum sativum glutathione reductase (GR), which was controlled by a stress-inducible SWPA2 promoter, and introduced this expression system into Arabidopsis thaliana. Transgenic (TG) plants overexpressing BrMDHAR targeted to chloroplasts...

Involvement of miR164- and miR167-mediated target gene expressions in responses to water deficit in cassava

P. Phookaew, S. Netrphan, P. Sojikul, J. Narangajavana

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:469-478 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0410-0

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important crop and it is significantly affected by water stress. The computational analysis of cis-regulatory elements in promoter regions of 21 drought-responsive miRNA gene families and 35 miRNA-target genes in cassava indicated some elements relevant to drought stress responses. To investigate the role of miRNAs and target genes in responses to a water deficit in cassava in more detail, in vitro plantlets were subjected to an imitated water deficit by 40 % polyethylene glycol. Using RT-qPCR, the differential expression of the cassava miR164/MesNAC and miR167/MesARF6/8...

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of four turmeric MAP kinase genes in response to abiotic stresses and phytohormones

S. Nanda, S. Nayak, R. K. Joshi

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:479-490 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0429-2

Plant mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades comprise a complex network playing a major role in regulating extracellular stimuli as well as developmental processes. The present study involves cloning four MAPKs (ClMPK1, 3, 4 and 5) from Curcuma longa. All four ClMPKs have fully canonical motifs of MAPK and each is represented by a single copy in the turmeric genome. The analysis of exon-intron junctions revealed conserved nature of ClMPKs across different plant groups. The RT-qPCR analysis showed their expression in mature plant tissues. The transcript analysis using the RT-qPCR shows that the four...

Copper stress induces the differential expression of microRNAs in non-heading Chinese cabbage

J. Ren, J. J. Zhou, W. K. Duan, X. M. Song, T. K. Liu, X. L. Hou, Y. Li

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:491-498 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0426-5

To gain a deep understanding of the regulatory mechanism of Cu-responsive microRNAs (miRNAs) in non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis Makino), the transcription of 10 annotated stress-inducible miRNAs and their target genes were investigated in two cultivars Suzhouqing and Wutacai exposed to excess of copper. Results show that these miRNAs were negatively correlated with their target genes under the Cu stress and showed different transcriptions in different tissues and cultivars. The transcriptions of bra-miR1530a and bra-miR1533v were highest in petioles and lowest in roots. Bra-miR1533ah, bra-miR1533m, bra-miR1533t,...

Transcription factor MdCBF1 gene increases freezing stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Y. Xue, Y. Y. Wang, R. H. Peng, J. L. Zhen, B. Zhu, J. J. Gao, W. Zhao, H. J. Han, Q. H. Yao

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:499-506 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0432-7

Transcription factors play vital roles in stress signal transduction and gene expression modulation. The sequence analysis shows that MdCBF1 from Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Fuji contained an AP2 core domain of 56 amino acids. By comparison of deduced amino acid sequences of CBF related proteins, we deduced that MdCBF1 is a CBF transcription factor gene which belongs to AP2/EREBP family, DREB-A1 subfamily. Further, we reported that transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing the MdCBF1 gene exhibited stronger growth than wild type plants under freezing stress. The analysis of RT-PCR for stress-responsive genes...

Plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase in sorghum roots as affected by potassium deficiency and nitrogen sources

J. C. Alvarez-Pizarro, E. Gomes-Filho, J. T. Prisco, M. F. Grossi-De-Sá, O. B. De Oliveira-Neto, R. Da Rocha Fragoso

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:507-514 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0438-1

We studied the influence of inorganic nitrogen sources (NO₃ ^- or NH₄ ⁺) and potassium deficiency on expression and activity of plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPase in sorghum roots. After 15 d of cultivation at 0.2 mM K⁺, the plants were transferred to solutions lacking K⁺ for 2 d. Then, K⁺ depletion assays were performed in the presence or absence of vanadate. Further, PMs from K⁺-starved roots were extracted and used for the kinetic characterization of ATP hydrolytic activity and the immunodetection of PM H⁺-ATPase. Two major genes coding PM H⁺-ATPase...

Identification of heat responsive genes in cotton

U. Demirel, A. Gür, N. Can, A. R. Memon

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:515-523 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0414-9

High summer temperature negatively affects cotton yield, and better understanding of genetic mechanisms of heat stress responses in cotton may facilitate development of new heat tolerant cultivars. We attempted to determine heat responsive genes in cotton using tolerant (Stoneville 453, BA 119) and susceptible (Nazilli 84S) cultivars. Twenty five expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were sequenced and studied for gene homology. Sixteen ESTs were significantly similar to known genes, whereas eight ESTs were similar to not annotated cDNA clones and 1 EST did not show homology to any known gene. Expression of some ESTs was analyzed by quantitative real-time...

Responses of cucumber to deficient and toxic amounts of nickel in nutrient solution containing urea as nitrogen source

A. H. Khoshgoftarmanesh, H. Bahmanziari, A. Sanaeiostovar

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:524-530 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0415-8

Nickel (Ni) is an irreplaceable component of urease which reduces urea toxicity, but excess of Ni has detrimental effects on plant growth. The responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cvs. Negin and Dominus) plants supplied with urea as sole N source to four Ni concentrations (0, 50, 100 and 200 μM) were investigated. Nickel at a 50 μM concentration stimulated growth and reduced urea accumulation and lipid peroxidation in the leaves. However, the application of 100 and 200 μM Ni reduced a shoot dry mass and increased a malondialdehyde (MDA) content. An activity of catalase (CAT) was not affected by 50 μM Ni, whereas it was significantly...

Involvement of the vacuolar processing enzyme γVPE in response of Arabidopsis thaliana to water stress

A. Albertini, F. Simeoni, M. Galbiati, H. Bauer, C. Tonelli, E. Cominelli

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:531-538 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0417-6

Plant vacuoles play several roles in controlling development, pathogen defence, and stress response. γVPE is a vacuolarlocalised cysteine protease with a caspase-1 like activity involved in the activation and maturation of downstream vacuolar hydrolytic enzymes that trigger hypersensitive cell death and tissue senescence. This work provides evidence that γVPE is strongly expressed in Arabidopsis guard cells and is involved in water stress response. The γvpe knock-out mutants showed reduced stomatal opening and an increased resistance to desiccation suggesting a new role of γVPE in control of...

Genotypic variation of the responses to chromium toxicity in four oilseed rape cultivars

R. A. Gill, X. Q. Hu, B. Ali, C. Yang, J. Y. Shou, Y. Y. Wu, W. J. Zhou

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:539-550 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0430-9

Heavy metal toxicity in soils has been considered as major constraints for oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) production. In the present study, toxic effects of chromium (Cr) were studied in 6-d-old seedlings of four different cultivars of B. napus (ZS 758, Zheda 619, ZY 50, and Zheda 622). The elevated content of Cr inhibited seedling growth, decreased the content of photosynthetic pigments, and activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as increased the content of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species in all the cultivars. The Cr content in different parts of plants was higher in Zheda 622 than in other cultivars. The electron microscopic...

From birth to death - Populus trichocarpa fibrous roots functional anatomy

A. Bagniewska-Zadworna, A. Stelmasik, J. Minicka

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:551-560 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0433-6

The main task of annually grown fibrous roots is to supply aboveground organs with water and nutrients. The key for this function, the development and mortality of primary tissues during a root lifespan is still poorly understood, especially in plants grown under field conditions. The goal of this study was to investigate the differentiation and maturation of fibrous roots from the initial appearance until the senescence and death. We monitored the histogenesis and anatomy of first order fibrous roots of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) sampled at a known age. The daily examination of the first order fibrous roots revealed...

Chloroplast elongation factor BcEF-Tu responds to turnip mosaic virus infection and heat stress in non-heading Chinese cabbage

H. -T. Peng, Y. -X. Li, C. -W. Zhang, Y. Li, X. -L. Hou

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:561-566 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0419-4

Eukaryotic elongation factor Tu has been implicated in responses to heat stress and viral infection. In this study, the turnip mosaic virus (TuMV)-response gene BcLRK01, which encodes a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase, was probed using the cDNA library of TuMV-infected leaves of non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis). The BcEF-Tu gene, which encodes chloroplast elongation factor Tu, was obtained and verified by a yeast two-hybrid system to interact with the BcLRK01 gene. TuMV infection depressed the expression of this gene, whereas a heat stress induced its expression. Overexpression...

Virus-induced silencing of MYB and WD40 transcription factor genes affects the accumulation of anthocyanins in chilli pepper fruit

A. Aguilar-Barragán, N. Ochoa-Alejo

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:567-574 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0427-4

The MYB, MYC, and WD40 transcription factors (TFs) are known to regulate the expression of structural biosynthetic genes at different steps depending on the plant species. In this work, we used an agroinfiltration protocol with Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) constructs containing partial sequences from MYB or WD40 for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to demonstrate their participation in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in chilli pepper (Capsicum eximium) fruits. The accumulation of anthocyanins in chilli pepper fruits of plants transformed with TRV2-MYB and TRV2-WD40 constructs was significantly reduced...

Different target genes and chimeric-gene hairpin structures affect virus resistance mediated by RNA silencing in transgenic tobacco

X. Xie, Y. Song, X. Liu, S. Wang, C. Zhu, F. Wen

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:575-581 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0422-9

Two types of hairpin RNA (hpRNA) constructions were designed using a chimeric gene formed from two genes, the coat protein (CP) gene or the silencing suppressor gene, from the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and the Potato virus Y (PVY_N), respectively; one type generated a single hairpin structure, whereas the other formed a two-hairpin structure. Four constructs, pDCPSH (double CP gene fragments, single hairpin), pDCPDH (double CP gene fragments, double hairpins), pHC2bSH (two silencing suppressor gene fragments, single hairpin), and pHC2bDH (two silencing suppressor gene fragments, double hairpins), were individually introduced...

Effects of irradiance during growth on tolerance of geranium to sub- and supra-optimal boron supply

S. Mishra, S. A. Heckathorn, J. M. Frantz, C. Krause

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:582-588 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0431-8

In our previous study on geranium, we showed that increases in growth irradiance from sub-optimal to near-optimal could delay boron deficiency effects on photosynthesis. In this study, we further investigated the effects of growth irradiance on tolerance to B stress by growing geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum cv. Maverick White) under sub- to supra-optimal B concentrations (4.5, 45, and 450 μM) and under three irradiances of 100, 300, or 500 μmol m^-2 s^-1 PAR for 30 d. In general, at low and medium irradiances, sub- and supra-optimal B availability decreased root and shoot dry masses, but at high irradiance,...

Reviews

The B subfamily of plant ATP binding cassette transporters and their roles in auxin transport

Y. X. Xu, Y. Liu, S. T. Chen, X. Q. Li, L. G. Xu, Y. H. Qi, D. A. Jiang, S. H. Jin

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:401-410 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0423-8

The ATP binding cassette B/multidrug-resistance/P-glycoprotein (ABCB/MDR/PGP) subfamily is a member of the ABC protein family. Significant progress has been made in the functional characterization of ABCB genes, particularly in Arabidopsis thaliana. This review evaluates recent advances concerning the plant ABCB subfamilies including their evolution and structure, the involvement and regulation of ABCB-mediated auxin transport, and the roles of ABCBs in plant growth and development. Insights into specific functions of members of the ABCB subfamily and their mediation of various regulatory pathways are also presented.

Brief Communications

Effect of endophyte infection on chlorophyll a fluorescence in salinity stressed rice

X. M. Li, M. J. Chen, J. Li, L. J. Ma, N. Bu, Y. Y. Li, L. H. Zhang

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:589-594 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0428-3

We have earlier reported that the endophyte infection can enhance photosynthetic capacity and antioxidant enzyme activities in rice exposed to salinity stress. Now, the changes in primary photochemistry of photosystem (PS) II induced by Na₂CO₃ stress in endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-uninfected (E-) rice seedlings were studied using chlorophyll a fluorescence (OJIP-test). Performance indices (PI_ABS and PI_Total) of E- and E+ rice seedlings revealed the inhibitory effects of Na₂CO₃ on PS II connectivity (occurrence of an L-band), oxygen evolving complex (occurrence of a K-band),...

Effects of lanthanum on the ascorbate and glutathione metabolism of Vigna radiata seedlings under salt stress

C. Shan, X. Zhao

Biologia plantarum 2014, 58:595-599 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0413-x

In order to elucidate the role of lanthanum (La) in response of Vigna radiata to a salt stress, we investigated the effects of La on the ascorbate and glutathione metabolism. The results show that in comparison with a control, the salt stress increased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS), and L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH), and the content of ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH). It also increased the malondialdehyde content (MDA) and electrolyte leakage. The salt...